The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-07-05
President Lavallee's Tribute to American
Composers and What the Teachers Con-
ventions Have Done for Them.
AVisiting Critics Brief Comment on the
Festival Chorus and Orchestra.
tion-Notes and Gossip Concerning the Ma
tional Musical Event of the Year.

tional Convention, which will hold its initial
session to-day, in Roberts Park NJ. E. Church.
at 9 o'clock A. NJ. From the great number that
have already arrived, the calculation heretofore
given that there would be nearly quite two
thousand teachers in attendance, cannot be con-
sidered an overestimate. The reception COM
mittee has been kept busy receiving the guests.
The Illinois, Iowa and other Wes-
tern delegates came in for the
most part yesterday afternoon, and the Van
der Stucken orchestra, Mr. Van der Stucken
having arrived the day previous, did not get in
until 4:45 P. NJ, owing to failure to connect at
Cincinnati After the evening trains came in
the hotels were we'll filled with guests, and the
parlors where the lady delegates congregated,
and tho hotel Offices where the male delegates
assembled and chatted, took very animated
appearance. The throngs great and small were
composed of lively, intellectual and amlable APP
pearipg persons, who seemed to be on this planet
with the intent of getting all the good they
could out of it.
The president of the association, Caixa La
valiee of Boston. is stopping at the Grand
Hotel. AS his name would indicate, he is of
French origin. He is forty four years old, and
was born at Vercheres. village twenty miles
from Montreal. Canada He is of medium
height. slender, Of dark complexion, hair and
mustache black-an active, nervous man, capa-
BILE of doing large amount Of work. He has
lived in Boston seven years, and is an ardent
American Il never felt at home in Canada"
he said; this is my country. When boy I
lived in Louisiana but my father, like most
Frenchmen, thought there was no place but
France in which to educate a son, so sent
abroad and have spent many years in Europe
Still, as I said, am an American"
moving spirit in the present effort to encourage
American musical composition, and to establish
an American school of music. 81 began some
years ago." he said. collecting such compost
TONS There was, of course, much trash, but
there was much of merit, and of the best some
times seldom more than a few copies Sold Four
years ago I conceived the idea of giving piano
recital before the national convention, the music
of strictly American authors. Mr.. Bowman, of
St Louis, WAS at that time president of the
citation and thought we'll of the idea, but
many were skeptical and had no confidence that
American music would be fit to play before the
Assem- bled musicians of the country. However
that recital was considered a success, and resolu-
tons were passed adopting the policy of encour-
aging American compositions and asking Con-
gress for a copyright law. The idea issto estab-
lish a national school of music, I remarked,
with American composers, that in time this
school will be recognized not only here but
abroad
Mr. Lavallee was surprised and eratifed at the
preparations made here for the sessions of the
associations and the concerts. 'You have pre-
pared for a larger and better scale than we
have ever been provided for before. In Boston
we had to sui scribe ourselves; but here you have
guarantee fund of large proportions Indian
apolis has done the best of ALL"
Frank Wander Stucken, the leader of the cele-
brated orchestra, is stopping at the Denison
House. He is fair haired. handsome. manly
type of blonde. He is somewhat near-sighted,
and pair OF amiable blue eyes beam benignant-
ly behind his concavoconvex spectacles He is
seemingly about thirty years old.
beard, his face being smoothly shaver, and in a
musical voice speaks with marked German
cent. There must have been something in the
day, however, r.. for, like e., Mr.: Lavalies'
II was born in this country" said Mr.. Van der
Stucken, ''in Fredericksburg. Tex, but have
been much abroad since ten years old" The
two members among whom are the great violin
lists Danreuther and Carlos Hasselbrinck; Venth,
composer; Heman. leader Of 'celos; Pfsiffen-
schneider. leader of double bass; Eller, q mas
ter on the oboe; Keiser on the clari-
der Stucken was the first to introduce
the works of American composers in . way that
attained success, and received enthusiastic ap-
way Hall, New York. and like concerts have
been repeated at Chickering Hail. He il con-
ductor of the Arion Society, of New York.
spoke in warm praise of American composers.
mentioning among tho older ones such we'll
known names as Payne, Dudley Buck and
peton Strong, Arthur Bird. Otto Foote, Huss.
Whiting and others.
DR.. G. S. Ensel, of Paducah, KY, who is to
speak on church music from the standpoint of
q jewish rabbi. is elderly gentleman with
keen. intelligent face He is a great lingust, as
well as q musician, and q most agreeable con-
versationist. with rare fund OF information
and unusual assortment of anecdotes. His
subject will be Tho Traditional Music of the
Synagogue" with vocal illustrations by Miss
Dora Messing, of this city Among these will
be the call to prayer by the Muezzin, Miriams
song. the lamentations OF Jeremiah as chanted
in the Roman Church and In the European and
Morocco synagogues three different versions.
and the traditional atonement hymn, "kol
Nidre."
The Boston delegation. in addition to the pres
ident is q notable one, containing a number of
the foremost musicians in the United States.
Among them Louis Mas the pianist and
composer; Arthur Foote also q composer; J.
B. Whitney, organist and composer; Charles H.
Adams, vocal teacher and composer; Thos. Tap
lege of Musicians. The Boston folks also want
to claim as one of them A. A. Stanley, of Provi-
dence. r. l., ex-president of the association.
Among the distin guished musicians who have
arrived is Prof R. de Roode. of Lexington, Ky,
where he has taught thirty-fo four years. In 1879
he was president of the Music Teachers National
Association. and since that time he has acted as
vice president for Kentucky. He brought quite
a delegation of ladies from the celebrated blue
grass region, among them the daughter of Gen.
Basil Duke of Louisville Miss Carrie Duke,
who ranks amongst the foremost violinists OF
the day. We trust the programme committee
can induce her to play here. Her playing is
said to be phenomenal, and she is a lady Of
great personal attraction. In the same compa-
ny is Miss Lucille Lindner, who possesses one of
the finest soprano voices In the southwest
These young ladies ehaperonec by Mesdames
Ballard, White and Perkins. of Lexington.
A Critical Forecast.
The large stage of Tomlinson Hall was crowded
last night by the chorus of four hundred voices
and Van der Stucken's New York orchestra of
forty players upon the occasion Of the first full
rehearsal of the choral parts OF the festival
certs. As the performance merely the first
attempt at uniting chorus and orchestra in the